A Demon's Prayer
by RoyalKnight1
Summary: When a old Demon and a young Flower Girl meet by chance, she shows him he can still care, but at what price, when the two find out Lucifer sent out his army to take back his Demon....by any means...it becomes a race against time to save their very souls.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi.

(This is my first crack at a Final Fantasy fic, I hope you R&R and enjoy)

A Demon's Prayer

_What did I do to deserve this? _Luciro Galith thought as he struggled to even walk after the beating he received from his so called 'friend' Damin. _Why, I wonder, because I don't want to work for the damn devil himself, because I don't want to kill people to please one monster? _He questioned _I don't care if it's 'Their time', he should wait until people die normal, peaceful deaths instead of having me go and kill them while they still hold on to life, that demented Lucifer. _He sighed as he wrapped a piece of fabric around the cut on his arm then he continued _I remember the last thing he said to me before I was sent away..._

"_Luciro, If you only did as I asked, I wouldn't have sent Damin" Lucifer said as he walked toward me "Yeah right" I shot back "You were just dying to get rid of me." Lucifer chuckled "Tell me, Luciro, tell me why I want to get rid of you." I thought of something to say "Because I care too much?"_

"_...Correct..."_

He stumbled onward until he found a church _Ironic, isn't it? _He thought as he decided this was a good enough place to rest; he slumped against the old wood doors and closed his eyes. As he slept, he had the nightmare again, the same one he had for years.

After what felt like a couple of hours, but actually was only fifteen minutes, Luciro awoke_, _he tried to stand but his legs were still too weak. After giving up on trying moving, he slumped back against the old doors and tried to go back to sleep but this time he heard a voice, he perked his up at the sound "Sir?" _No one called me 'Sir' for a long time, I'm a demon to most_ he thought, then he felt a hand on his shoulder "What?" he grumbled, he didn't want to sound so harsh yet that was a natural reaction, then he turned his head and smiled at what he saw _She looks like an Angel, maybe I've finally died. _"Are you ok?" She asked, "I'm fine, really" Luciro said trying to hold up a hand but he could only get it half way up "You don't look fine to me" the Woman said to him then she started to help him up "It's too cold to stay out here" she said as she lead him inside the church "Luciro" the Woman look at him "Excuse me?" She asked, "My name is Luciro", she smiled "My name is Aerith." Luciro looked down for a few seconds then said "…Thank you...Aerith."

The strangest thing happened when Luciro fell asleep again, he didn't have the nightmare, instead he didn't dream at all and he was happy about that. When Luciro finally woke up, he saw Aerith tending to a small patch of flowers in the back of the church "Good Morning" she said without even turning around "Yeah" he rubbed the back of his head with his hand "sorry 'bout that" Aerith stopped what she was doing and turned around "Sorry about what?" she asked, he sat up in the pew he was laying on "Sleeping that long, I normally don't sleep that long, hell, I hardly sleep at all" he laughed afterwards and Aerith smiled, "What" Luciro asked "are you smiling at?" she walked over and sat next to him "You laughed, you look like those kind of guys who _couldn't_ laugh" Luciro looked over at her "Hey, what's that supposed to mean" his smile grew bigger "I look that doom and gloom to you?" Aerith laughed then said "No, it's not that" he put his hand on her shoulder, looked her in the eyes while smiling and said "You've got a beautiful laugh, Aerith, you know that?" Luciro let his hand slide off her shoulder and down to the pew "Who knows" he started "Maybe with you around, I may not seem so doom and gloomy, maybe..." he trailed off, looking down at the floor, "What's the matter?" Aerith asked, concerned, he looked up from the floor and smiled as he finished his statement "…I'll seem human" then he stood up and started walking around the church, Aerith then got up "What do you mean 'seem human'?" Luciro then turned and said solemnly "It's a long story Aerith…" He sighed "…And I don't think you would understand". After about five minutes Luciro sat back down, "What were you doing?" Aerith asked, he looked up "Thinking" he held her hand gently and said "C'mon, let's get some fresh air", she stood up "Sure" as they left a raven haired man seemed to follow them. _I've got you now Luciro…_

When Luciro and Aerith arrived at the park, the raven haired man stepped forward "Hello Ma'am…_sir_…" the man looked at Luciro and grinned, _Damin!_ Luciro could remember the face of that monster anywhere "What brings yo..." but before he could finish he felt something at his neck _The Illisi!_ The Illisi is a blade made by Lucifer incase Luciro got uncontrollable, thus, it was the only blade in Lucifer's possession that could kill him. _How did Damin get that blade…?_ "Aerith, go back to the church" Luciro called out "Why?" then she noticed it, the blade at Luciro's neck, she nodded and left the park…but she wasn't heading back to the church.

(AN: So, what do you think? There is more to come, stay tuned)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika…

**A Demon's Prayer**

Chapter 2

_Good _Luciro thought when he noticed that Aerith had left _I can't show her my true self...not yet _then he grabbed Damin's wrist and twisted, forcing him to drop the Illisi. Slowly a mask came over Luciro's face, his eyes changed from Midnight black to Blood red and his skin turned a mix between blood red and midnight black, then his demonic sword, Rashika, appeared; followed by eight others that slowly hovered around him. "So" Damin said "This is your famed 'Death Mask' huh?" then he gestured to the eight swords "But what is this?" Luciro chuckled "You know little about me" he took a few steps closer and said "This…is my collection of swords" he stopped when he heard people scream, then he turned and noticed a little girl standing in the middle of the street by herself, holding a stuffed bear and appeared to be scared stiff. Luciro started to walk towards the girl; _Yes _Damin thought _do the thing you were made to do _at this time to people came into the park, it was Aerith and a Man in a SOLDIER uniform, due to Luciro's sensitive hearing he listened to the Man and Aerith talk; "So, where is this guy you were telling me about?" the Man asked Aerith "I…don't know" she answered, she was looking straight at Luciro yet she couldn't recognize him. Luciro tried to pretend like he didn't know her and returned his attention to the little girl, closed his eyes then brought his sword up…._I remember the Death Mask very well _Damin said _Without Lucifer, the Death Mask pretty much takes over and you end up with the overwhelming urge to kill…Anyone and Everyone _Damin's attention was brought back to the present by the loud sound of metal against metal _Interesting_he noticed the man got to Luciro before he brought his sword down, effectively parrying the blow. After that Luciro turned his attention off of the girl and on to the Man, and then he lunged…the Man jumped back and swung his large sword to deflect a blow aimed at his neck then Luciro spun around the Man and he stopped, held his head in his hands, screamed at the top of his lungs as searing pain went through his entire body then he passed out; the Death Mask disappeared and his skin and eyes returned to their original color after he passed out, the swords just fell to the ground.

When Luciro woke up he noticed he was lying on a pew inside the church, Aerith was tending to the flowers and the Man in the SOLDIER uniform sitting in the pew behind him. "Hey Aerith" the Man called out, "Yes Zack?" _…Zack…I remember that name _Luciro thought to himself, "Guess who's _finally _awake" Zack said with a laugh as he pointed to Luciro. Aerith stood up and walked over to Luciro as he sat up "…I'm sorry you had to witness that…" was all he said before he stood up and started to walk out of the Church "Hey, where are you goin'" Zack said, grabbing Luciro's arm "You're in no condition to be walking around" Luciro then turned to face Zack and said "…I have to go" The SOLDIER tightened his grip on Luciro "Where?" Luciro pulled his arm out of Zack's grip and started walking towards the door "To Hell…I've got a promise to keep" _For an old friend.. Im coming for you, just hang on..._

--

So, what do you think? I admit it's alittle short.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika…

**A Demon's Prayer**

Chapter 3

"_To Hell...I've got a promise to keep"_

Zack just stood there, shocked, as Luciro continued to walk out the door. He turned when he heard Aerith speak "What do you think he meant, Zack?" Zack walked over to a pew and sat down "I don't know, but I have a feeling something bad is about to happen if Luciro really does go down there" Aerith went to the same pew and sat down next to him "What do you mean 'something bad'?" she asked, "…To you" Zack said "I've got a feeling something bad might happen to you if he goes through with this" Aerith didn't say anything so Zack continued "He could use you as a bargaining chip in some sort of twisted game of his" this time she spoke "He would never do something like that" He put his hand on her shoulder and said "Remember who we're talking about here Aerith, the man who tried to kill a little girl and me" Aerith was silent, so Zack put his head in his hands and tried to will these thoughts he had away.

_Well, here goes nothing_ Luciro thought as he stood at a rift in the ground, then he closed his eyes and jumped, and when he opened his eyes again he was in a rural area near the River Styx "Time to find your castle…Lucifer" he said aloud as he walked the roads he remembered, seeing sights he hoped he didn't remember, after about two hours of walking Luciro noticed a large, very old looking castle _Here we are_ he sighed _I'm coming for you, just hang on _then he pushed his way inside. "Welcome to my castle" Luciro turned when he heard that familiar voice "Lucifer" he took a step closer "Where is she?" this time Lucifer took a step closer to Luciro "Who?" Luciro balled his hands into fists and said "You know who I'm talking about, you used her to manipulate me into coming back down here" _And I made a promise to her…_ Lucifer chuckled "Oh, you mean her" then he snapped his fingers and two Demon soldiers lead a young woman into the room, she had blood red shackles around her ankles and blood red cuffs around her wrists which had a chain attached to them which one of the soldiers was holding, "Lucifer!" Luciro yelled "What did you do to her?!" Lucifer chuckled yet again "_I _didn't do anything" he gestured towards the soldiers "They did." Luciro was fuming, he held his hand out and his demon sword, Rashika, appeared "I don't think so" Lucifer said as he snapped his fingers and Rashika disappeared again, Luciro turned "What the…" Lucifer walked over to Luciro and said "I control _Everything_ in this domain…and that includes you" _Damn, how do you fight someone who can manipulate anything, how do you fight a being that know what you're going to say or do before you say or do it? _Luciro's train of thought was broken when he heard Lucifer talking "Take your place as my right hand again, Luciro, and I will release this woman back into the mortal world where she belongs…and you don't." Luciro was still angry, but that was the last straw "I would _NEVER _work for you again!" Lucifer held his hand out "I see" then an orb appeared in his hand "Then I need more leverage" he looked like he was cycling through images "Well, how about them" he showed the orb to Luciro…..

…It was Zack and Aerith.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika…

A Demon's Prayer

Chapter 4

Luciro just stared at the orb, shocked at what he saw. He could just picture what Lucifer would do to them if he got the chance _But it's not going to happen _Luciro thought _I won't let it happen _he turned and noticed the soldiers taking his friend away, yet he also noticed Lucifer wasn't present _Perfect; _he was at the soldiers in a blink of an eye and one of the soldiers swung their swords at him but he parried the blow with Rashika which just now re-materialized in his hand. "Sorry boys" Luciro said as he kicked one of the soldiers in the ribcage and he stabbed the other soldier in the skull with his sword "But she's coming with me" then he used Rashika to cut the shackles and cuffs off "This way" he said to her, she nodded and they ran out of the castle.

"Are you ok, Zack?" Aerith asked after they sat in silence for maybe an hour, Zack looked up and smiled "Yeah, I'm ok" she smiled and said "That's good" as she gently took his hand in her own. "Knock, knock" a strange voice called out, Zack looked at the door and no one was there, _Strange _he thought, "Psst, over here" that same voice called out and Zack looked in the direction the voice was coming from, this time he saw a Man standing on the other side of Aerith's flowers. "Who are you?" Zack asked and the Man chuckled and said "If you must know, Zack Fair, I am Lucifer" as he stepped out of the shadows. "How…" Zack started, "Did I know your name?" Lucifer finished "Simple, I know everything about you Zack Fair and you too, Aerith Gainsborough." Zack got up and took a step closer towards Lucifer "So, what are you doing here?" Lucifer looked at the two gems he held in his hand "I need you two for something, especially the woman", Zack put his hand on his sword "What do you want with Aerith?" Lucifer put one of his gems in his pocket and started to toss one up and down in his hand "She is my connection to this useless husk of rock you mortals so affectionately call 'A Planet' being that she is a Cetra, also that makes her nearly twice as more valuable to me then you" Zack had drawn his sword about halfway before Lucifer disappeared and reappeared behind him "I would not do that if I were you, yet…this is a reaction I've come to expect from mortals." _I've got to protect Aerith _was the only thought in Zack's mind as he prepared to battle Lucifer.

By the time they stopped running Luciro and the young woman were at the rural area where Luciro first entered this realm. "You ready?" he asked and she nodded; then he picked her up, held her close to his chest and jumped. When they surfaced they were in Loveless Ave. "Damn portal" Luciro muttered, "What was that?" the woman spoke her first words after the ordeal, Luciro looked over at the woman "What?" she looked up at him "That sound-" she stopped cold then clutched her head, _I didn't hear anything _he thought then he noticed the fear etched across her face. "Alicia, Alicia!" he called out, using her name then he closed his eyes _Strange…I haven't used her name in many years _and when he reopened them, he found Alicia looking straight into his eyes "Lucifer is near." Luciro put his hand on her shoulder "Where?" he asked, she was still looking into his eyes "A church" _…Zack…Aerith…_ His anger towards Lucifer rose yet fear for Zack and Aerith kept him immobile _Is this a penalty for caring too much? _"No" he said sternly "I mustn't let fear dictate my actions, if I do Zack and Aerith are done for and I won't let that happen, Lucifer can't stop me" then he picked Alicia up again and ran towards the Church…

…And his showdown with Lucifer.

(There we have it, Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika

A Demon's Prayer

Chapter 5

When Luciro arrived at the Church, he and Alicia already heard the sounds of battle within…_Zack…__Aerith__…_then he placed Alicia down against the front wall of the church, pushed the large wooden door forward and entered.

"What's the matter, SOLDIER first class Zack Fair?" Lucifer taunted "Even you aren't proving to be much of a challenge for me" then he lunged at Zack, his sword slamming into Zack's sending the latter into a violent tumble as he crashed into multiple pews, Aerith rushed over to his side "Zack, are you alright?" she asked as she moved but before she could get there Zack spoke up "Stay back…" he said as he struggled to get up. Lucifer chuckled as he walked over to them "I have one piece of advice for both of you…" he trailed off as he looked to the heavens, then he finished "…pray" then he brought his sword over his head…"Zack!" he picked he head up to the familiar voice just in time to see the Buster sword flying towards him, Zack then used it to parry the blow from Lucifer then he struck a blow of his own, sending Lucifer's sword flying, effectively disarming him. "It's not over yet Zack" the voice said, Zack turned to see Aerith with Luciro, Lucifer then spoke up "Indeed it isn't over yet" as his blade returned to his hand by an unseen force. Zack tried to get up again but the previous blow seem to knock all the wind out of his lungs, Luciro laughed "Leave him to me Zack" Rashika then appeared in Luciro's hand "You and Aerith get out of here, take care of Alicia for me alright?" Zack nodded as he finally got up and then he and Aerith walked to the door, Lucifer turned to them "No, you shall not leave" as he spoke the words a strange force seemed to block the church entrance then he lunged at them but Luciro intercepted him too quickly "Not going to happen" he said as he and Lucifer finally crossed swords, Luciro then gathered energy in his hand then fired it at the right wall of the church, making a hole in it "Go, now!" he yelled as they ran through the hole then he closed it behind them.

"So, where's this 'Alicia' Luciro spoke about?" Zack asked Aerith grabbed his hand as she led him around to the front and she said "I think in the front." As the two rounded the corner they saw a young woman lying against the front wall, she seemed to be sleeping, Aerith was the first to run to the woman "Excuse me?" she asked as she gently rocked the woman's shoulder "Are you Alicia?" the young woman didn't even open her eyes "Yes" she spoke softly "that is my name, Luciro sent you didn't he?" Zack then walked over "Yep" he assured as he knelt down in front of the Alicia "he did, though I'd like to know why he'd want to face the Devil all by himself" Alicia then laughed softly "He said before that it was a Vendetta, but now I think he's just trying to get out of Lucifer's shadow" Zack looked confused as Aerith asked "What do you mean 'get out of Lucifer's shadow' Alicia?" Alicia sat up straighter before she continued "In the beginning, Luciro was Lucifer's right hand, second in command to the Devil himself, he killed for Lucifer, kidnapped for Lucifer, did anything for him, he looked up to the _monster_ as a role model, as a father…" she trailed off and Aerith put her hand on the young woman's shoulder then Alicia took a deep breath and continued "Before Lucifer found Luciro, the only family he had was a sister, I don't remember her name, he rarely spoke of her, then when Lucifer showed up Luciro's sister disappeared mysteriously." Aerith gasped "You don't think…?" Zack then spoke up "Definitely" he said as he clutched the hilt of his sword "Lucifer probably took her" _Poor Luciro…_Aerith thought _He gets manipulated by the Devil after losing the only family he's ever had… _


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika

Author's note: I'm back and I'll try to turn the fact that my life went to 'you know where' in a 'you know what' into better stories/chapters

A Demon's Prayer

Chapter 6

Inside, the battle raged on, blow for blow the two seemed evenly matched, which usually happens when the student faces his teacher. When the two stopped, Lucifer laughed "You learned well" he taunted "but you'll never defeat me, I know everything you know, and then some" Luciro wiped the blood from the corner from his mouth and said "I've added a few new tricks to my playbook, things I taught myself" then in the blink of an eye Luciro was behind Lucifer and swinging Rashika toward his 'teacher's' neck.

The trio continued to listen to the sounds of battle until Zack piped up "They stopped" he stated then proceeded to get up "Wait" Alicia said, still not opening her eyes, then in a whisper said "Listen" and a few seconds later the sounds of battle resumed _I have to get back in there _Zack was determined, not thinking about anything or anyone besides the combatants in the church, then common sense kicked in "What the…" he muttered, not noticing the fact that his right eye turned all black save the red triangles framing it then his thoughts became clouded again with only images of Luciro in his mind and the faintest of whispers….

…_Your target…_

It was Lucifer's voice…

After Luciro missed, missed by a long shot because Lucifer was across the church before Luciro even raised his sword he noticed something strange, Lucifer's left eye was entirely black except the red triangles framing it and he was smiling. Luciro lowered his sword "What's so funny?" he questioned "And, what the hell…" but he was cut off by the creaking of the church door being opened. Turning, he saw Zack walking in "What are you…?" then he noticed it, the strange markings on Lucifer's left eye were just like the markings on Zack's right the Luciro put two and two together and turned back to Lucifer, who kept smiling and said "I wouldn't turn my back to the enemy boy" it was Luciro's turn to smile "No problem, I'm looking at him" Lucifer's grin widened "Not…" the Buster Sword came to rest on Luciro's shoulder, blade at his neck "…exactly." Luciro proceeded to push the Buster sword off his shoulder, took three steps back and came to a rather irking realization _what's that saying…_he thought to himself_…stuck between a rock and a hard place_ after his inner monologue was done he cursed under his breath when another problem arose in the form of Aerith stepping back into the church, presumably coming in after Zack then Alicia appeared behind Aerith _Shit, how in the hell am I supposed to keep an eye on Lucifer and Zack while watching out for Aerith and Alicia? _He smirked "Like this" then he charged Zack, forcing him to sidestep which made it now Lucifer and Zack standing near each other and Luciro standing in front of Aerith and Alicia "What's…" Aerith started but Luciro cut her off "Get out of the church" he growled "Both of you" neither of the women argued and proceeded to back up to the church's entrance until Lucifer cut their escape route off "No" he simply stated "I'd rather we have an audience" then he grabbed Aerith and Alicia by the arms and guided the to one of the last remaining intact pews "Sit" and if they wanted to or not, they sat down, also during that split second Lucifer exerted himself the markings on Zack's eye disappeared.

Sitting in the pew, Aerith turned to Alicia and asked "What is that?" gesturing towards the markings on Zack's and Lucifer's eyes "To put it simply, mind control" Alicia answered "Lucifer is forcing his will upon your friend which in turn prevents him from adequately defending himself" Aerith thought about this for a minute then said "That would leave him vulnerable" Alicia smiled "Exactly" then the two women looked upon the scene before them, Luciro standing in front of their pew facing Zack and Lucifer, Zack staring at Luciro with pure hatred in his eyes and Lucifer, with a broad grin, standing behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy 7 or Crisis Core (Just trying to cover everything) All I own is Luciro, Damin and the Illisi, Rashika

A Demon's Prayer

Chapter 7

The two men continued to stare at each other, one obviously thinking of what they'd do to the other. Luciro was the first to speak "Zack…" he said sternly "…you don't want to do this." Lucifer laughed "Of course he does, why, then, would he be…look out" he smirked as Luciro turned around fast enough to see Zack bearing down on him with the Buster Sword…

As the sounds of battle continued to echo throughout the Church, the two women in the pew turned to each other momentarily "He's getting too complacent" Alicia muttered Aerith turned to her as Alicia resumed her vigil of the battle "What do you mean?" She never took her eyes off the battle "Simple, he is getting too confident in his control over Zack." _You're going to leave yourself completely exposed if you continue this game of yours. _

Back in the center of the church, the battle raged "I don't-" Luciro dodged a strike "-want to do-" he avoided another one "-this" Zack stayed silent, ever-present mark on his eye, signifying Lucifer's control over him as he reared up and swung again, Luciro rolled away "Don't say I didn't warn you" he growled. Further back, Lucifer smiled _Yes…that's it, let the rage build. You two can kill each other for all I care; I just need the both of you out of my way. _Back in the middle, the clash of steel meeting steel could be heard echoing throughout the church as the two battled one another… "That's it" Luciro growled as he brought out the rest of his swords "You want to dance…?" his voice dropped several octaves to a growl "Let's dance." The battle began with renewed vigor.

Though instead of charging Zack, Luciro dashed towards Lucifer; the latter caught by surprise, expecting the SOLDIER and the Demon to solely focus on each other. When Lucifer brought out his blade to parry Luciro's attack, the marks on both his and Zack's eyes disappeared.

"Look at that!" Aerith exclaimed pointing at Zack's eye "It's gone" Alicia looked over "It is like I said" she said softly "He has gotten too complacent in his control, and he lost it at the slightest provocation by Luciro." At that, Aerith turned to look at her "Then that means…" the other woman nodded "Until Lucifer stops moving and concentrates, he cannot enforce his grip on Zack"

Zack shook his head, to clear the cob webs "What the…?" he muttered "Feels like I was in a haze…"

"Zack…" Aerith murmured, standing up; the SOLDIER turned "Aerith? What happened?" he said as he walked over, the sounds of the two demon's battle ever-present in their ears.

"It's sad, really" Lucifer said "You were a good 'right hand man' but, the times have changed" he brought his great-sword down on Luciro's blade "Your services are no longer requested nor or they needed" Luciro only laughed "You're firing me?" he parried another blow "That's rich" he jumped back then he brought his sword right back to the ready position "I should have quit years ago" he scoffed.

All of this was in an attempt to keep Lucifer distracted and away from Zack.

Speaking of Zack, he was seated next to Aerith on the pew "It was weird, kind of like being caught in a nightmare…" he was explaining it to her "And all I kept hearing was things like 'Your Target' and 'Kill him'" he stood up and lifted the Buster Sword on to his shoulder "I've got a score to settle" Aerith was taken aback by this "B-but If…" she started but Alicia spoke up "Do you now know what It feels like?" she asked Zack who nodded "Yeah, and it's something I don't want to feel again..." she turned to look at him "Then you can fight it", Zack turned to look at the warring pair "Here I come…" he said as he entered the fray.


End file.
